5 ways to save the world

Made a resolution to save the world, but don’t know where to start?

By
Time Out Bahrain staff
30 December 2010

Adopt an animal

OK, not physically. It would be cruel to try to cram and endangered white rhino into your studio apartment. But by setting up a direct debit and paying just BD1.7 each month, or BD23 for a year, you can adopt an endangered species from the World Wide Fund for Nature, without ever having to actually look after it. Each of the animals is in the wild and is monitored by a team of conservationists, who give you an update on the critter three times a year. This is a great and fun way to interact with your favourite species, learn more about them and play your part in ensuring their survival. These donations also make fantastic presents!For more info, visit support.wwf.org.uk

Sponsor a child

The world is unjust, wealth unequally distributed and opportunities depressingly limited for children in some parts of the globe. So if you are among the lucky few (and if you are living in Bahrain and reading this, then chances are you are), then you have a moral obligation to help those less fortunate than yourself. World Vision, a UK based charity, offers donors the chance to sponsor a child in one of the poorest regions of the world, ensuring they get food, healthcare and education. For just 350fils a day, you could help transform the lives of some of the world’s poor.For more info, visit www.worldvision.org.uk

Save a rainforest

One of the best ways to ensure the survival of the lungs of our planet is to buy it, acre by acre. The World Land Trust (the patron of which is Time Out Bahrain’s hero Sir David Attenborough) buys and protects critically endangered rainforest across the world, saving species of plants and animals, and helping to slow the rate of deforestation in some of the world’s most vulnerable habitats. An acre costs just BD30. For more info, visit support.worldlandtrust.org

Become a friend of the seas

We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor, and yet the sea and its rich ecosystem will determine the survival of the human race in decades to come. The Save Our Seas Foundation funds research into the ecological impact of climate change, fishing and pollution on our oceans and operates numerous sanctuaries to protect those marine species most at risk.For more info, visit saveourseas.com/donate

Protect personal liberty

Amnesty International is one of the world’s most admired charities, protecting the rights of individuals against the might of the states that silence them. From representing the rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees, to helping to protect minority groups in the Arab world and calling for justice for women in failed states, Amnesty is a beacon of light in places where politics become murky.For more info, visit www.amnesty.org.uk